If you’re using Apple AirPods with an Android smartphone, you might be aware that some features like ear detection, voice assistant activation, and gesture shortcuts don’t work on the platform. The reason is that Apple limits additional features to its ecosystem to attract more users to get an iPhone. Fortunately, there are third-party Android apps that can emulate or achieve similar features with your AirPods. So, let’s not waste time and check out the best AirPods apps that bring the full iPhone-like experience to Android.
We’ve tried and tested the following apps to see how they work, what features they offer, and whether they’re safe to use. So let’s dive in.
MaterialPods – For the full AirPods experience on Android
Main features:
- Shows a pop-up animation with the battery level.
- Allows you to play the ring to find missing buds.
- It can launch Google Assistant with a double tap.
- In-ear detection to play or pause playback.
Material Pods combines all the features discussed in the above two apps, offering a comprehensive iOS-like experience for your AirPods in one app. Show’s animated popup after pairing, along with the battery level, it also adds a battery percentage notification for each bud and case in the notification bar.
But what I found most useful is that you can use the app to play a loud ringtone in each bud in case you lose it. This is such a useful plugin that is not locked behind a paywall. Coming to the Pro version, you get detection in the ear and assisted awakening for a small one-time donation fee, which I consider quite reasonable. So if you don’t want to mess around with multiple apps and just want one app to add iOS features to your Android phone, go for MaterialPods.
| Avg | Against |
|---|---|
| Adjust the size and dimensions of the animated popup. | A pop-up animation appears with the ad. |
| Ring each handset to find it. | Shows the battery percentage in the notification bar. |
| Shows the battery percentage in the notification bar. | |
| Simple and easy to use. |
Price: Free (one-time Pro payment)
AndroPods – for iOS Style AirPods Pop-up on Android
Main features:
- Adds AirPods pop-up animation identical to iOS.
- Let’s let you choose between different Airpod models.
- Adds an AirPods battery indicator to your phone’s status bar.
- The Pro version allows you to add in-ear detection and gesture remapping.
- You can also use the double-tap gesture to activate Google Assistant.
Next up, we have AndroPods, an honest attempt to bring iOS style pop-up animation to your Android phone. A pop-up window appears as soon as you open the charging case and the AirPods connect to your phone via Bluetooth. It looks identical to what you would find in iOS.
The main difference between the original and this one is that AndroPods can’t detect the type of AirPods you’re using. In addition, it also shows battery percentage in the status bar. The application is free, with the unlocking of the paid version detection in the ear and other gestures. Overall, I think it’s the best option if you want to add that pop-up animation to increase immersion while using your AirPods.
| Avg | Against |
|---|---|
| Once set up it works effortlessly. | Some features are exclusive to the Pro version. |
| The popup automatically adjusts its size to the screen size. | It is not possible to automatically detect the AirPod model. |
| The pop-up animation and appearance are authentic to those in iOS. | |
| It gathers additional features for gestures and ear detection. |
Price: Free, one time payment unlocks more features
Assistant Launcher – to launch Google Assistant with AirPods
Main features:
- Allows you to launch Google Assistant using a squeeze gesture.
- It works when the device is locked.
- Shows the battery status of the AirPods in the notification bar.
- Includes customization of squeeze shortcuts.
On iOS devices, you can invoke Siri by squeezing the tops of any of the buds. This gesture doesn’t work on Android, and that’s where Assitant Trigger comes in handy. As the name suggests, it allows you to launch Google Assistant or Bixby using the same single or double squeeze gesture on your Android phone. It works even when the screen is off.
However, in my usage, the app would launch Bixby (Samsung’s on-device assistant) even though Google Assistant was set as my default. Other than that, the app did what it set out to do. However, any options to customize these actions are only available for Pro users. Other features like AirPods battery status in the notification bar are also locked for free users. If you feel the need to use Google Assistant or just want to complete the AirPods experience then this app is a must.
| Avg | Against |
|---|---|
| The application automatically detects the AirPods model. | Default Bixby on Samsung devices. |
| It works without any downtime. | Most options are locked behind the Pro version. |
| Wake up your phone even when it’s locked. | |
| It offers a lot of customization options. |
Price: Free/one time payment
That’s our list of Android apps for AirPods that you can download. This year we saw many new applications and services that managed to penetrate the Apple ecosystem such as Intel Unison, Nearby Drop and others.
It’s the best because there’s no doubt that Apple makes quality products, but it’s up to the consumer to decide which device they want to pair it with. Hopefully we’ll see more apps that could bring features like spatial audio support to Android to work with AirPods. What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments.